Dog
by Gre3nleaf
Summary: Merlin had no idea how it happened. It hadn't meant to happen… but then again, nothing ever meant to happen with Merlin.


**Dog**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin. I wish I did, but nope :(**

 **Set around season 4 I should think, when Arthur is king.**

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Merlin had no idea how it happened. It hadn't _meant_ to happen… but then again, nothing ever _meant_ to happen with Merlin.

He had been exercising Arthur's many, _many_ dogs in the courtyard, thinking yet again about how much of a clotpole the king was, until he tripped over one of the huge paws. Silently cursing the 'stupid mutts', he had stood back up again, ignoring the slightly muffled laughs of the knights nearby, and decided there and then that dogs had been exercised enough. He brought them back to where they were kept, firmly shut the door, and with a heavy sigh walked back across the courtyard to the castle, rubbing his aching limbs.

Nevertheless, he hadn't bothered to count the dogs when he put them back, and one of them must have gotten free when he fell and decided to follow the warlock back inside. How he hadn't noticed, he would never know, but now he was stuck in the king's chambers with a huge Alsatian, desperately trying to get it out of the newly cleaned room.

"Dog!" – did Arthur even name his dogs? - "get _out!_ "

The dog, who was quite happily sat in the middle of the floor with his long pink tongue sticking out, tilted his head to the side.

Merlin groaned, dragging his hand down his face. If Arthur ever found one of his dogs inside the castle, let alone inside his _room,_ he would probably fire the person who did it.

Striding over to the Alsation, the sorcerer leant down, placed his hands on the dog's chest and pushed.

"Get… _out…_ of the king's… _room!"_ he panted, pushing as hard as he could against the dog.

Nope. No use.

Why was it always him? Trouble seemed to follow him everywhere.

The dog seemed to agree, barking before reaching up and licking Merlin's face.

"Ew! Get off!" the sorcerer said with a grimace as he stood back up again.

"Merlin!"

Merlin's head snapped up as he heard Arthur's voice drifting down the corridor and into the room. His eyes widened before he quickly spun around and started frantically searching for a place to hide the dog. He rushed over to the other side of the king's bed and looked at the big ball of fluff, still sat contently in the middle of the room.

"Come on! Come on doggy! Here boy! Here! Come on boy!" he said in the happiest voice he could muster in his current situation.

It seemed to work however, and the dog slowly got up and padded over to Merlin, tongue still sticking out.

Merlin sighed in relief. As long as he stayed there, he would – hopefully – be alright.

"Now," he said, pointing a finger at the Alsation, "stay."

"Merlin, have you exercised my dogs yet?"

The sorcerer looked up at the sound of Arthur's voice and quickly walked over to him, heart beating rapidly. With any luck, he had only come in to get something and would be out of the room soon.

Merlin nodded. "Yep. All done."

"Good. And my boots have been polished?"

"Yep."

"Clothes washed?"

"Yep."

"Floor scrubbed?"

"Yep."

"Can you stop saying 'yep'?"

"Yep- I mean, yes, sire. Sorry."

Arthur rolled his eyes before walking over to his desk.

Merlin inwardly groaned. He wasn't leaving, then.

"You're staying?" he asked.

Arthur frowned. "It _is_ my room, Merlin."

"Of course, but… you don't have knights to train?"

"Already done," the king said with a suspicious look at his manservant. "What are you hiding?"

"Hiding? Me? Nothing!"

Arthur looked at Merlin for another moment or so before shaking his head and picking up a piece of parchment off his desk, reading it as he walked around the room. There were times when the sorcerer's heart nearly jumped out his skin because the king came so close to finding out about the dog hiding by his bed, but thankfully his friend's eyes were fixed on the words of the report. If things continued to go how it was now, the king would finish reading his report, put it down and walk out of his room, leaving Merlin time to-

" _What_ did I just step in?"

Merlin frowned, looking at the look of complete disgust on the king's face. His eyes travelled down to Arthur's lifted foot, and his own face quickly changed into one of complete terror. _Stupid dog,_ he thought angrily.

Arthur looked up at Merlin, eyes swimming with a dark fire. " _How,_ may I ask, did this- urgh. How did it get in my room, Merlin? Unless you did it, which I believe is highly unlikely-"

"What?! Arthur, that is disgusting – why would you think that?! It was the stupid dog, not-" the sorcerer squeezed his eyes shut tight. The words had just slipped out. A barely audible curse left his mouth before he hesitantly looked up at Arthur.

"Dog?" the king asked. "What dog?"

A bark from behind the blond's bed answered that question. _Stupid dog,_ Merlin thought again, watching as Arthur hopped over to where the sound had come from. When he reached it, the sight of a big, fluffy Alsation dog – _his_ big, fluffy Alsation dog – sitting happily on the polished floor met his eyes. Slowly, he looked up at his manservant.

" _What is he doing in here?"_

"I can explain!"

"I'm sure you can! But right now, I want you to get him _out_ of here!"

"Yes sire, of course sire. Come on dog," the warlock said, grabbing onto the dog's collar and dragging him out of the door.

Arthur watched them go before sighing and shaking his head, a hint of amusement in his blue eyes.

"Idiot."

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 **Please leave a review and tell me what you think! It'd be much appreciated! Thanks for reading :) ~ Gre3nleaf**


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